[B-Greek] Question for Discussion About EIMI
Hugh Donohoe Jr.
justusjcmylord at yahoo.com
Wed Dec 26 20:09:27 EST 2007
I agree the memorial name is not translated simply EGW
EIMI. Yes, I always wondered why John never put the
whole name (with hO WN) in Jesus' mouth if he intended
a declaration of Deity. But allusions are allowed in
literature. We must allow John the right to such
devices. We do not have the ipissima verba of Jesus in
John's gospel. Jesus' words are being filtered through
John into Greek. I'll leave it to the Semitists to
wrangle about the Aramaic behind the text and its
similarities to the Hebrew Text.
I get what you are asking. Just because EIMI is part
of a translation (pun/explanation/etymology) of the
divine name does it warrant a place in BDAG? Perhaps
being an English speaker has made the EGW EIMI stand
out more in my mind because many translations use the
"I AM" for that passage (in Exodus). I guess the big
question is how did Jesus audience understand it? How
did Jesus intend it? These are questions beyond the
scope of this forum.
But linguistically and lexicographically speaking, do
allusions warrant a place in the usages of a lexeme?
I guess that is my ultimate question. But even this
question is pushing the parameters of this list.
Thanks for your critique of my question.
Hugh J. Donahue Jr.
Does the LXX really translate Gods name specifically
as EIMI?
I see no examples of this.
You refer to the translation of the Hebrew 'haya
ashser haya' which seems to
be an explanation/pun/or etymology of the divine name
YHWH.
As you quote the LXX translates
EGO EIMI hO WN
Brenton translates "I am THE BEING" (see below)
hO WN 'The Being' is the predicate nominative of the
clause and in the next
line hO WN is used again as the verbal subject. So
EIMI is not the name of
the one sending Moses, it is hO WN 'The Being'. EIMI
is just being used as a
copula verb, not as a name.
If John has this verse in mind as you suggest,
wouldn't he have used hO WN?
Brenton's translation:
Exodus 3:13-14 13 And Moses said to God, Behold, I
shall go forth to the
children of Israel, and shall say to them, The God of
our fathers has sent
me to you; and they will ask me, What is his name?
What shall I say to them?
14 And God spoke to Moses, saying, I am THE BEING; and
he said, Thus shall
ye say to the children of Israel, THE BEING has sent
me to you.
Warm Regards
Robert Newman
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